1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotary engine. More particularly, the present invention relates to a rotary expansible chamber engine. Most particularly, the present invention relates to a rotary expansible chamber engine integrated into a power generating system.
2. Background Information
Many devices are known that convert potential energy into mechanical energy that can be put to various useful ends. Electrical power is generated by the passage of water through turbines to convert the potential energy of the water to mechanical energy which rotates the turbines, thereby producing electrical power. Gas turbines that convert the potential energy of a compressed gas into mechanical energy are also known. These devices are termed expansible chamber engines.
Some examples of inventions involving expansible chamber devices for which patents have been granted include the following.
Pitt, in U.S. Pat. No. 658,556, describes an early rotary engine or motor that includes an engine body or cylinder with heads bolted to the faces of the cylinder. A shaft is mounted rotatably in the cylinder with an eccentric keyed to the shaft. On the eccentric is mounded a triangular body or piston. The triangular piston turns within a square chamber, with a working fluid entering the square chamber at each corner thereof, to rotate the cylinder and connected shaft. Thus, a rotary engine was known as early as 1900.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,367,801 by Clark describes a rotary engine where steam is admitted from a source to the conduit from which it passes into the bonnet, through perforations of the valve, leaving the valve by the ports. The valve is rotated so the ports match with the ports of the annular ring on the runner. The steam then passes through the ports into an annular channel, expanding in one direction against the vanes and in the other direction against the two disks positioned in the annular channel. The disks rotate on an axis transversely of the radius of the runner, and the pressure pushes against the spirally disposed vanes causing a rotation of the runner in the direction of the arrow D. When the rotation has proceeded to a point equal to half of a revolution, the vanes leave the disks, and the steam which causes the movement of the runner then passes out of the channel through the ports and into another channel, filling the space between the vanes and the two disks positioned within that channel. This rotates the runner again in the direction of the arrow D. This process is repeated to drive the rotary engine in one direction.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,507,151, Gabriel discloses a rotary hydraulic motor that includes a cylinder with a rotor in the cylinder having inner and outer annular recesses in opposite ends thereof. One of the inner recesses constitutes a pressure-receiving recess, and the other constitutes an exhaust-receiving recess. The end heads on the cylinder enclose the rotor, one of the heads having an annular pressure manifold and the other annular exhaust manifold opening into the pressure-receiving and exhaust-receiving recesses, respectively. The rotor has a pressure port connecting the pressure-receiving recess with one portion and an exhaust port connecting the exhaust-receiving recess with another portion of the periphery of the rotor. A passage connects the pressure port with the outer annular recess on the end of the rotor, including the exhaust-receiving recess, and another passage connects the exhaust port with the outer annular recess on the end of the rotor, including the pressure-receiving recess.
Rylewski, in a series of U.S. Patents, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,021,165; 4,061,449; 4,090,825; 4,184,813; and 4,274,814, describes a rotative machine for fluids comprising a plate with spiral-like passages (stator), facing a disc (rotor) mounted for rotation relative to the stator on a common axis and carrying, on its face in front of the passages, vane wheels mounted for rotation on axes transverse to the common axis whose vanes circulate in the passages where they form fluid compartments completed by the cooperating surfaces of the stator and of the rotor covering the passages. In one embodiment, a rotor faces the first and second stators, respectively, and has vane wheels cooperating, by their diametrically opposite parts, simultaneously with the passages of the first and second stators between an inlet chamber and an outlet chamber. The fluid entering the machine is thus directed toward one and the other inlet chambers and the outlet chambers of the two stators are connected to a common outlet of the machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,187,064 by Wheeler describes a rotary machine that includes an outer housing, and a cam-shaped rotor mounted within the housing for rotation about an axis coincident with the axis of the housing with two sealing members forth rotor equally supported at diametrically opposed positions within the housing for movement toward and away from the peripheral surface of the rotor and in at least close sealing proximity with the adjacent surface of the rotor during at least part of the rotation of the rotor. The lobe portion of the rotor is at least in close sealing proximity with an adjacent inner surface of the housing. An inlet passage through the rotor opens through the surface thereof on one side of the lobe portion. An exit passage also passes through the rotor and opens through the surface thereof on the other side of the lobe portion. The inlet and exit passages communicate with ports for admitting working fluid to, and exhausting working fluid from, the rotor. Also disclosed is a twin rotor arrangement in which two rotors are supported within the housing on a common support shaft and separated by a partition wall with the respective lobe portions and sealing members being at diametrically opposed positions within the housing to dynamically balance the forces within the machine.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,462,774, Hotine et al. disclose a rotary expander device that combines a square working chamber with a three lobed, sext-arcuate, rotary working member which defines four expansible and contractible spandrel chambers in the corners of the square, as the three lobed rotor revolves and its external surfaces make wiping contact with the interior surfaces of the square working chamber. Fluid flow from exterior intake and exhaust ports to four ports in the spandrel corners is controlled by a rotary valve coupled to the drive shaft, which is coupled to the center of the rotor. The ports and valving provide sequential, spandrel chamber expansion and contraction with intake and exhaust of fluid as the sext-arcuate rotor revolves with its center describing a retrograde circular orbit around the center of the square chamber. The device may serve as either a motor when fluidly driven or a pump when shaft driven.
Mallen, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,043, discloses an internal combustion engine having a ring-shaped stator with a plurality of thin slits. A rotor, having a plurality of helicotoroidal troughs formed on its inner surface, encloses the stator. A planar vane wheel, having a plurality of radially extending vanes, is resident in each of the thin slits, with the vanes communicating with the respective helicotoroidal troughs. Rotation of the rotor imparts rotation to the vane wheels. The interaction of the stator, troughs, and vanes produces a plurality of sequential intake, compression, combustion, expansion, and exhaust chambers.
While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not necessarily to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.